Learn about the Gypsynesters!

Have you ever heard of the term “Gypsynester” or empty nester? I never heard of these terms until I encountered the couple, David and Veronica, which wrote a book about it. We interacted on Twitter one day a few months ago. I was very intrigued by the Gypsynester idea and had the chance to review their audiobook Going Gypsy.

Welcome to the life of the Gypsynesters

Whoever said that you couldn’t start traveling when you’ve already raised your children? Why would retirement mean that you have to settle in one house year round? That’s essentially what a Gypsynester is. They are people who’ve laid down their roots with families and houses, but decided that they wanted to travel around the world. That’s kind of the term in a nutshell, but the book is much more than this aspect.

First, you are introduced to the lives of David and Veronica in St. Croix which is in the US Virgin Islands. David is a musician who had much experience traveling to different gigs and Veronica is a stay at home mom who didn’t have much travel experience. They end up raising their three children and put them through school. I must say that the James’s are dedicated parents providing a great foundation for their children.

A picture of David and Veronica

Once they put their children to school, the couple has to figure out the empty nester house plans which is to buy properties near their son’s university. They do this and in the process end up selling their home in St. Croix and turn the properties they bought near their son’s university into rentals. You also learn about their move from St. Croix and packing everything into boxes. You are given wonderful accounts of their process in buying property like removing the grease from one of the apartments. This, in turn, gives the couple (now an empty nest egg) the ability to travel whenever they would like and take advantage of this by going on a trip through Europe in the summer. There are funny accounts in the process like Veronica dealing with being locked in a hotel room and figuring how to get out.

This doesn’t stop the couple’s adventures. They end up going back to the U.S. and later purchase an RV through a seller on Ebay for a reduced price. The couple ends up calling the RV Banf. Purchasing the RV allows the couple to be truly mobile while they get the opportunity to explore the U.S. The couple also encounter that they have differences in the way they travel. For example, David prefers to move on to the next city while Veronica prefers to stay longer to explore a new city. However, the couple is able to work through their differences in traveling and grow an even stronger bond. During the couples’ RV travelling adventures, you are also able to meet many characters along the way. For example, a strange man with weird scriptures written all over his lawn and house that has David really nervous about Veronica’s safety as she greets the man.

A picture of the guy from his lawn

Another is a German couple that they meet in an RV park in Montana that plans to travel around South America. This has Veronica contemplating long road trips.

What is even more astonishing is how the couple is able to deal with holidays like Christmas with their children. Their daughters invite the couple to New York City for Christmas. They ended up making a Christmas meal in their daughter’s small kitchen. This Christmas gives the couple a new outlook of their “homeless holiday.” The couple realizes that they can be mobile and still spend holidays with their family.

I really enjoyed listening to the story of the Gypsynesters. The narrators do a great job describing it and I was inspired by it. I want to tell my parents that you can also sell your home and go RV travelling to different places. Who says that we have to be bound to one place? The James’s are enjoying their life and seeing wonderful places. Furthermore, they’ve created a community of similar people who want to travel the world after they’ve raised their families. If you get a chance, definitely pick up the book or the audio version of Going Gypsy. You will enjoy it!

You can find out more about the empty nesters blog here: http://goinggypsyblog.com/